Plans
by changingpennamesisweird
Summary: "Listen to me, Hinata-chan. Whatever you do, you must protect your sister from the Branch house. Do everything you can to protect your sister from the seal - it is not her Fate, and neither is it yours." Hinata's eyes were round in disbelief. "The s-seal, kaachan? I m-must stop t-touchan from p-placing it o-on Hanabi?"


This was it.

She faced the three chuunin across the room, shut her eyes, and took a deep breath. Her smooth, unmarked forehead wrinkled in concentration as she focused on shaping the chakra into the patterns she had memorized over the past two weeks. Everything depended on this test - the slightest mistake now would ruin her efforts for the past two years. The cuts, the bruises, the sleepless nights - all for naught. She drew a shaky breath as she reached the last hand seal, sent up a prayer to any god who would listen, and released her chakra.

The two most pitiful moans from her failed _Bunshin no Jutsu _was the most satisfying sound she had ever heard.

_

_Five year old Hinata was whisked into her mother's bedroom mere hours after Hanabi's birth. She was apprehensive - the day had been a long, stressful one, and as her father steadily descended into panic she couldn't help but be afraid for her mother's life. _

_The whispers weren't helping the child's state of mind either. _

_" - complicated birth...Hiashi-sama...a choice must be made..."_

_"...mother or daughter...too much blood...she won't make it..."_

_Hinata started shivering. What was happening to her kaachan? One day her mother had been listening to her chatter excitedly about this boy in the Academy, then the next her mother lay on a bloody fuuton, beckoning as she wheezed and huffed and clung onto life. Her kaachan looked utterly spent, and every time the woman shook in pain Hinata could feel her mother's spirit ebbing away into the void. _

_The girl ran up to her mother, but stumbled on her kimono in her haste. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she fought them off - her mother needed her _now_. Now was not the time to disappoint her. _

_"Get up, Hinata." Her mother's voice was as comforting as ever. It was raspy and choked, but nevertheless calming, and as always, it made her feel loved. Hinata curled up beside her mother on the fuuton, and the woman immediately put her arms around her daughter. As she stroked Hinata's short, indigo locks, the girl could only think of what the people outside had been whispering. _

_"Kaachan, is it t-true?" _

_No further words were needed. Her mother nodded slowly, and held Hinata even closer. _

_"Hina-chan, I have a favor to ask of you. You are going to need all your strength and courage for this, daughter, so you must promise to train and become the strongest you can be. Do you understand, Hinata-chan?" _

_The girl swallowed her apprehension and forced herself to nod. This was going to be her mother's dying wish - she will not refuse, and even if she needed every day and every night to train she would find the strength to complete this task. _

_Her father's footsteps suddenly broke the silence, and her mother's eyes grew fearful. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Listen to me, Hinata-chan. Whatever you do, you must protect your sister from the Branch, Hinata. Do everything you can to protect your sister from the seal - it is not her Fate, and neither is it yours." Hinata's eyes were round in disbelief. "The s-seal, kaachan? I m-must stop t-touchan from p-placing it o-on Hanabi?" _

_The woman sighed. "Yes Hinata. Promise me that you will protect Hanabi from the fate of the Branch house, even if you must go against your father. And remember, he must not know that I asked you to do this. Promise me that this will be our secret, Hinata-chan."_

_Pearl white eyes met smoky lilac, and the latter steeled with resolve. "I promise I will protect my imouto-chan, kaa-chan. And I promise that Father will never know." _

_

Hinata felt elated. She had failed! And she had been so convincing that Kurenai-sensei had taken her to a nearby cinnamon bun stall in an effort to cheer her up, before taking her back home to the Hyuuga estate. Hinata had worried the most about fooling her chuunin sensei - Kurenai was especially observant when it came to children, and could see through most lies that her classmates used to get out of sticky situations with the very strict teacher. Even Uchiha Itachi - _the_ Uchiha Itachi had been caught quite a few times in the short year he spent at the Academy. It seems that not even he could get past those sparkling red eyes, and of course couldn't escape the accompanying punishment.

Her predicament was decidedly more serious than skipping out of class, though. She had deliberately failed the finals - during a time when it was widely known that Konoha was in a shortage of ninja to boot. This was dishonesty at the least, and treason at the most. But it was part of the plan, and Hinata had been reminded quite violently why the plan was needed in the first place in the past week.

Her little cousin Neji had just turned four, and instead of attending a child's birthday party, she had been forced to watch his branding. At the hands of her own father, no less. Hinata loved her cousin - he was the brother she would never have - but she was more worried for Hanabi. She was just a year younger than Neji, and it was widely known in the Hyuuga main house that if the current heir was proven to be worthy of the title, then all his other siblings must be sealed at the age of four.

She had a year left to seal both their fates. If she played her cards right, then they could both escape the horrible future that the Caged Bird Seal promised. After that, they could work together to change the Hyuuga, and to find a way to lift the curse from every single one of their cousins.

If her plan fails, however, she fails her mother, she fails Hanabi, and she fails Neji. His freedom had already been sacrificed at the altar of her naivety and weakness - Hanabi cannot suffer the same fate.

Her feet made their way through the estate's gates, and instinctively she changed her step. Gone was the pride that had brought her back home, replaced with the shuffling steps of the family's disappointment. She was entered the Academy the same year the Uchiha genius did, but the moment Itachi graduated and she had not, and still did not the following year, whispers erupted throughout the clan that she may not be the genius they anticipated, and would probably be undeserving of the role of heiress.

One could say that her plan was working. But still, many were suspicious. She had been doing so well in the Academy - coming only second to the Uchiha's clan genius - but suddenly she stopped excelling and started failing everything. Hinata thought back to the past two years as she shuffled into the herb garden her mother had kept just a few years ago. Hiashi had agreed to let her keep it. He wouldn't dishonor his late wife's wishes by digging up her beloved garden and replacing it with rocks and sand.

She had skipped a few years of instruction because of her apparent talent, just as Itachi had done, but the moment her mother had died Hinata had lost her will to excel and promptly fell down the ranks. That was what her teachers and tutors told her father, of course. Only she knew that wasn't the case. She absent-mindedly knelt in the garden, and start picking a few leaves and flowers. If her father thought she was weak, and did not deserve to become the heiress of the Hyuuga, then he would have to wait until Hanabi was older to see if she possessed greater talent. That would buy Hinata more time to make a new plan that sought to make Hanabi's freedom from the cursed seal permanent. Her father was not the only problem, though; the council was much more conservative than he was, and aren't inclined to care who was the stronger daughter. Hinata knew that if they were given the chance, they would seal Hanabi without a second thought merely because she was the younger daughter. However, the council was also the reason why she herself remained unmarked. Despite her obvious lack in skill, they were all unwilling to seal away the rightful heir.

She knew that this would be the only reason why her father wouldn't mark her forehead that very night. This was the third time she had taken the genin exam (?), and also the third time she had failed it. The next try would be her last, and if she failed that too, she would never be a kunoichi. The next time, she was certain her father would mark her, because a civilian heir is a worthless one.

Her eyes steeled with determination, and she stood up, carrying a few stalks of aloe vera and a bunch of geraniums. She didn't know much about herbs yet, but she was sure they were going to help with Neji's forehead. Hinata turned to her room, and was dismayed to see Ko standing at the edge of the garden.

"Hinata-sama, your father wishes to speak to you" he said. Her hands started to shake. Her father scared her, and he was always said hurtful things if he was put in a bad mood. And the news of her recent failure would do nothing to alleviate this.

"Alright, Ko-san, I'll be in his study shortly."


End file.
